"Can't take it anymore?" A slightly mocking voice sounded behind him.
Lin Chen turned around abruptly and saw A-Jie leaning against the doorframe, his face bearing the same pained expression, but with a hint of resigned numbness in his eyes.
"You'll get used to it." A-Jie walked in, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag. "These are the rules. Drink or get out. Want to earn money standing up? Not so easy. Look at Li Haoran, he drinks harder than anyone else, smiles sweeter than anyone else, and his next song and look have already been decided."
"But... what about the music?" Lin Chen murmured.
"Music?" A-Jie exhaled a smoke ring, his smile somewhat desolate. "That's just a stepping stone, a commodity, background noise. Here, connections, resources, and the capital behind you are the real currency. Those of us without backing either learn to bow our heads, or... just wait to be eliminated."
At that moment, an even louder uproar and laughter erupted from the direction of the private room, mixed with the sound of shattering glass. Lin Chen and A-Jie exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness and a hint of fear in each other's eyes.
Back in the private room, the atmosphere was even more unbearable. Mr. Liu had completely let loose, grabbing the female singer's hand and insisting she sing an explicit love song. The singer struggled, tears welling in her eyes, but dared not break free.
Lin Chen's blood rushed to his head. He remembered Chen Kai's words, "Protect yourself," and he remembered his own inviolable bottom line. He couldn't stand by and watch this happen.
He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"Mr. Liu," his voice was slightly hoarse with nervousness, but unusually clear, "she seems unwell. Shall I sing for her?"
Instantly, all eyes in the room focused on Lin Chen. Mr. Liu's smile froze on his face, his eyes instantly turning grim. Producer Zhao's expression also darkened.
"Who do you think you are?" President Liu released the female singer, staring coldly at Lin Chen. "Who do you think you are to stick your neck out here?"
"I just think it's not good to force someone to do something they don't want to do," Lin Chen straightened his back, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Heh," President Liu chuckled, picking up a glass of wine from the table and slowly swirling it. "Kid, you want to be her protector? Sure." He pointed to a newly opened bottle of strong liquor on the table. "Drink this whole bottle, and I'll let her go today, and I'll acknowledge you as a man."
A whole bottle!
Everyone around gasped. The female singer looked at Lin Chen in horror.
Lin Chen stared at the amber liquid, as if he were seeing a venomous snake flicking its tongue. He knew that if he drank it, he might really be "finished" here; if he didn't, he would not only have offended President Liu and Producer Zhao, but his competition would probably be over.
He was caught in a dilemma.
Just at this critical moment, the door to the private room was pushed open. A waiter entered and respectfully said to Producer Zhao, "Director Zhao, there's a Mr. Chen outside. He says he's Lin Chen's uncle and has come to take him home because of a family emergency."
Uncle Chen?
Lin Chen was taken aback, then realized—it was Chen Kai!
Producer Zhao frowned, clearly displeased, but in this situation, with someone claiming a "family emergency," he couldn't forcefully stop them, especially given the already tense atmosphere. He waved his hand impatiently, "Alright, alright, if you have something to do, just leave!"
Lin Chen felt like he'd been granted a pardon and immediately bowed to everyone, "I'm sorry, everyone, Mr. Liu, I'll take my leave now." With that, he grabbed the still-dazed female contestant and practically fled the hellish private room.